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Field
Abstract
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Before
Our goal is to analyze the effects of one of the largest, non-federal scholarship programs on measures of educational attainment. Outcomes of interest include continuation and completion rates, completion times, academic performance, and degrees obtained. Broadly, we are interested in the following two questions: 1) How does financial support affect the educational attainment of recipients? 2) How do support services affect the educational attainment of scholarship recipients?
After the initial assessment of educational attainment outcomes, we are interested in following up on labor market outcomes, such as wages and credit.
To address these questions, we will randomize scholarships and support services across applicants to the program.
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After
Is financial aid in higher education an effective use of funds? Research on this question has been complicated both by selection bias and the high implicit tax rates imposed by an array of over-lapping need-based programs. We are conducting a randomized evaluation of private post-secondary aid and support services for low-income students applying to public colleges and universities. The program we studied, which primarily serves a Pell-eligible population, distributes $20 million in aid to over 3,000 students annually. Unlike Pell, however, award criteria included indicators of college readiness. Outcomes of interest include continuation and completion rates, completion times, academic performance, and degrees obtained. Broadly, we are interested in the following two questions: 1) How does financial support affect the educational attainment of recipients? 2) How do support services affect the educational attainment of scholarship recipients?
After the initial assessment of educational attainment outcomes, we are interested in following up on labor market outcomes, such as wages and credit.
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Field
Last Published
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Before
November 23, 2013 04:35 PM
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After
April 14, 2014 02:59 PM
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Field
Intervention (Public)
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Before
The interventions of interest are scholarships and support services. For the 2012 cohort, there is one treatment group that receives a traditional scholarship. This scholarship covers the cost of tuition and fees at public, in-state colleges and universities. At eligible campuses, students who receive the traditional scholarships receive comprehensive support services (e.g., tutoring, special courses, counseling) at participating campuses.
At these participating campuses, there are scholarship-only treatment groups for 2013 and 2014 cohorts, in addition to the traditional scholarships at all campuses.
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After
The interventions of interest are scholarships and support services. For the 2012 cohort, there is one treatment group that receives a traditional scholarship. This scholarship covers the cost of tuition and fees at public, in-state colleges and universities. At eligible campuses, students who receive the traditional scholarships receive comprehensive support services (e.g., tutoring, special courses, counseling) at participating campuses.
For the 2013, 2014, and 2015 cohorts, we randomize among traditional scholarships and aid-only scholarships.
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Intervention End Date
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Before
March 15, 2014
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After
April 24, 2015
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Primary Outcomes (End Points)
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Before
Enrollment, Credit hours, GPA
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After
Enrollment, Credit hours, GPA, credit history
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Field
Experimental Design (Public)
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Before
First, we disqualify students who are ineligible for the scholarship based on their Estimated Financial Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) and Grade Point Average (GPA). Next, the scholarship provider reviews applications to award scholarships to those students who clearly deserve the scholarship. Simultaneously, reviewers decline applications that do not reflect the values of the scholarship organization.
Following the review process, there is a sizable group of applicants on the margin. While there are not enough scholarships to go to each student, reviewers agree that students in this group equally deserve the support. These applicants are stratified by the first-choice school listed on their application. We then randomize the scholarship applicants within each stratum into treatment and control groups:
1) Non-recipients (control)
2) Traditional Scholarship recipients, eligible for support services at providing schools
3) Scholarship-Only recipients, ineligible for support services related to their scholarships*
*The third group applies only to the 2013 and 2014 cohorts.
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After
First, we disqualify students who are ineligible for the scholarship based on their Estimated Financial Contribution (EFC) from the FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR) and Grade Point Average (GPA). Next, the scholarship provider reviews applications to award scholarships to those students who clearly deserve the scholarship. Simultaneously, reviewers decline applications that do not reflect the values of the scholarship organization.
Following the review process, there is a sizable group of applicants on the margin. While there are not enough scholarships to go to each student, reviewers agree that students in this group equally deserve the support. These applicants are stratified by the first-choice school listed on their application. We then randomize the scholarship applicants within each stratum into treatment and control groups:
1) Non-recipients (control)
2) Traditional Scholarship recipients, eligible for support services at providing schools
3) Scholarship-Only recipients, ineligible for support services related to their scholarships*
*The third group applies only to the 2013, 2014, and 2015 cohorts.
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